POLITICAL NOTES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 589, 30 July 1913, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

The Financial Statement, expected to come down next Friday, has been somewhat delayed owing to the vaccination indisposition of the Finance Minister, who made a bnef appearance in the House on Friday for the first time during the week. The date now mentioned for the arrival of the Budget is Tuesday, August sth.

It is evident that legislators, who in nearly every case have a very tender regard for the old age pensioners, do not like the present system of hearing pension applications, with necessary attendance at a police court. Magistrates have recognised that the examination of the aged applicants regarding their private affairs is not the thing to be done in the full glare of publicity. They make pensions sittings of the court as private as possible, but the opinion is gaining ground, and it is shared by the Hon. Mr Fisher, Minister in charge of the system, that pensioners should not be required to go near a police court, One of his interjections during the second reading debate on the Pensions Bill showed that he is in favour of placing the whole responsibility for granting pensions upon the shoulders of the registrars.

II is stated that the Magistrate's Courts Amendment Bill now before Parliament contains a provision which, if adopted, will materially cur tail the powers of the Arbitration Court. Under clause 6D of the Bill, jurisdiction is given to stipendiary magistrates to hear and adjudicate upon cases under the Workers' Compensation for Accident Act, without any limit his clause, it is understood, is being criticised by both employes and workers. The employers maintain that there would not be any unanimity amongst magistrates in their assessment of damages in such cases, and there is also a fear that the new clause may have the effect of putting up insurance premium ratts. As the law now stands, there is no appeal from the judgment of the Arbitration Court in compensation cases, and workers do not view the new clause with any enthusiasm, in that in the proposed clause 6 D there is nothing to prevent an appeal to the Supreme Court against a judgment delivered by a magistrate, and a further appeal to the Privy Council. It is claimed that the right of appeal would bestow a very unfair advantage in favour of the insurance company, as against the worker, who might be making the claim.

It is beginning to be agreed or all sides that the present session is likely to be one of the longest on record. A month has gone in which comparatively little has been done, and an enormous amount of work lies ahead. Apart from such standing features as the Financial Statement and Public Works Statement, and the Railways Statement and Estimates there is the tariff to be revised and an array of policy Bills to be dealt with such as is not often equalled in a single session. Only optmistic members now cherish the "hope of getting away before December, and some who arc not optimists say jocularly that perhaps they will be lucky to get away in time to celebrate the Christmas holidays.

The Opposition has not yet given any definite indications of an intention to concentrate its forces under a single leader. One member of the party was asked whether the prospective early arrival of Sir Joseph Ward would give rise to any attempt to settle the leadership problem. He replied that a meeting would, no doubt, be held at an early date, and that something definite would be done but whether Sir Joseph Ward was likelyito'be selected as leader or to accept t'he'office if offered, it he was not prepared to say.